Device for indicating wear of brushes



Aug. 1933- I E. T. NAYLON I 1,920,659

DEVICE FOR INDICATING WEAR OF BRUSHES Filed June 29, 1932 E T Nayllozb m Patented Aug. 1, 1933 I ED STAT DEVICE FOR Elton T. Naylon, East Cleveland, Ohio. Application June 29, 1932. Serial No. 619,858

12 Claims. (o1. l e -114) This invention relates to devices'for indicating wear of brushes of generators and other 'elec'- trical machines which are enclosed and therefore make it difficult to examine the brushes.

Themain object of the invention is to provide a device which nay be. attached to and form a part of a generator and will indicate the amount of the wearing away of the brushes without "the necessity of removing the generator from the casing so that the brushes when'worn badly may be replaced by new ones. I

mother object of the invention is to provide a device of the above character, which is or'simple construction, positive and accurate in operation without need of care, and applied to a generator or similar enclosed electrical rna'- chines for indicating outside of the cas ng the amount of wearing away of .e brushes.

' With the above other objects. in view, the invention will be hereinafter fully described as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and the novel features thereof will be'distinctly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the several views of the drawing similar characters of reference areused to indicate corresponding parts. 1

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a generatorenclosed in a casing with a device for indicating wear of the brushes constructed in accordance with my invention applied thereto, the casing being broken away,

Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3 -3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a plan View of Fig. l, the casing being broken away, i

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View of the indicating device taken online 5-5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a face view, on an enlarged scale, of

.the top plate,

Fig. '7 is a cross sectional view of the device,'on an'enlarged scale, taken on line 7 -7 of Fig. l,

and I a Fig. 8 illustrates 13113112831115 for adjustably holding theindioating hand on the shaft. 1

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents an electric generator such as used for automobiles and is usually enclosed in a cylindrical casing 2 having a removable head3. The generator has a commutator land spring supported brushes as 5 engaging same. away and as they are enclosed can only be examined to ascertain their condition as to wear by first removing the generator from the casing.

Due 'to the inconvenience and difficulty of removing the generator, thebrushes are neglected and My invention was designed to indicate upon convenient and ready examination the condition of lowing described device:

tion in the head 3.

Said brushes necessarily wear 7 be replaced. This is accomplished by the fol- The indicating device consists of .a tubular screw 6 passing through and threaded in the head 3 of thecasing 2. A nut '7 on the tubularscrewfi serves to' fix the screw in an adjusted set posiv To the outer. end of "the "tubular screw 6 is fixed a triangular shaped supporting plate 8'by. means of 'a lock-nut 9; The supporting plate 8 is preferably positioned'with one edge horizontal and therefore one 1 of its points extending downwardly. 'In spacedrelat'ion tothe supporting plate 8, is a base plate 10 of the same size and form, which plates are fixed jtogether attheir corners bysuitable pins indicated,by 11. Arranged in spaced relation to the base plate 10 is an outer or top plate 12, which 1 is also of triangular form though smaller. than. said base plate and is fixed thereto by corner pins indicated by 13. 'Rotatably mounted in the'tubular screw .6 is a rod or shaft 14, the inner end of which projects beyond said tubular screw'and has fixed thereto a boss 15 carrying a laterally extending finger 16 which is at a right angle tosaid shaft. The outer or free endof the finger 16 is adapted torest upon and engage the upper edge 17, of a piece of insulating material as 1 8 which is fixed. by means of aclip 19 or in any suitable manner to tlieupper end of the brush 5. A transverse notch 20 is preferably provided in the center "of the upper 'edge 17 of theinsulating' material 18 for receive ing the finger 16. Said finger'is adjustably fixed to the shaft 14 bya' set-screw 21. The outer end.

of the shaft 14 passesthrough anjopening in the base plate 10, acrossthe space between 'saidlbase plate and the outer plate 12 and is pivoted insaid outer plate at 22. For tending to rotate the shaft 14 counter-clockwise and thereby hold the finger 16 in slight pressing engagement with the piece of insulating material 18 so that said finger will tothe shaft 14 between the plate'st and 10. For indicating whether the brush 5 is in. good or fair INDICATING WEAR OF BRUSHES i the brushes as to wear in order that same may condition as to being worn away or should be i renewed, an indicating hand 25 is moved laterally in the arc of a circle across the top plate '12 by' said'action of the shaft 14, and said top. plate is divided into spaces and so marked as shownat 26.

In order that the hand 25 will swing laterally in proper relation to the downward movement of the finger 16, a suitable gear 27 is' fixed to the the outer projecting and reduced end 31 of thepinion shaft 29, and is held on said shaft so as to be rotated thereby but is also rotatably adjustable relative thereto by being held between the shoulder 32- of said pinion shaft and 'a coiled 5 spring 33 to which proper tension is applied by a nut 34.

This indicating device is readily applied to an enclosed generator by simply, drilling and tapping a hole in the head thereof for the tubular screw 6. When the brush 5 is, new, the finger 1 6 rests lightly upon the piece of insulating material 18 and is in its highest position. Ihe indicating hand 25 is adjusted on the stub or pinion shaft 29 so as to be at its extreme left-hand position over the spacing of the top plate 12 marked Good. As the b'rushs wears away, the fingerv ifi'gradually swings counter-clockwise and this movement rotates the shait ld thereby causing the gear 27 to drive the p; 28 and thus mov'eflthe hand 25, ,c1ockwise'Z hen the brush 5 has.worn sufficie'ntly a ay; the hand 25,Wi11 have moved over the space marked Fair and later over Renew, and said, hand thus indicates the condition of the briisli'as to wear; By occasionally observing the position of the indicating hand 25 it is possible to k "owthe condition of the brush, without the 'ty of removing the generator from its Fr "the. drawing and description, it is readily seen that by the "use of this device, the wearing away of the brushes ofgenerators and other electrical machines which are enclosed will be indicated outside of the casing and byconveni V be known in order that same may be replaced beforesevere damage results from worn out bi s es;,,, I t V I Altlioug h the construction disclosed and illustrate is en adapted for carrying out the pure or the invention, it is to be understood that ht chan'g'es'in, the ,detailsojf construction are 2.11; an indlc'atifg device for bruhes, the

99 n l, [with 3 b us a fih'g'firfl he finger ivotall'y supported and adapted tcrkr n'ove trash wears a'\ v ay 'and means actuated 7 e'finger for indicating the movement of said dicating deviceffo'r brushes, the cornionwfitha brush of a finger; adapted 'toswing as the brush wearsawa a shaft, the shaft being moved by 7 said finger, and a "hand moved by said shaft for indicating the amount 'of wearing w yd he 1 1 ,i'ng upon the brush, a shaft, the finger being ported', me ans tending to cause movement of e t observa' on the condition of the brushes will 4. Inanindicatin'g device forbrush'es, theicom- 1 n v'v'ith'abrush of a finger, the finger restffi'xed to the shaft, the shaft being movab1y's11p-. I Y

ported, means tending to cause movement of said shaft to cause said finger to move as the brush wears away, a plate, the plate having mark ings, and a hand actuated by said shaft and swung over said platefor indicating the amount ofwearing away of the brush.

6. In an indicating device for brushes, the combination with a brush enclosed from view of means adapted to move as the brush wears away, means extending from within to the outside of said closure and actuated by said first mentioned means, and means outside of said closure actuated by said second mentioned means for indieating the amount of wearing away of the brush.

a casing, a shaft extending from within to the outside of said oasingmeans'extending from the shaft adapted to move as the brush wears away and actuating said shaft, and means outside of said casing actuated by said shaft for indicating the amount of wearing away of saidbru'sh.

8. 'a'n indicating device for brushes, the combination with a brush enclosed from View in a casing, a shaft extending from within to the outside of said casing, a finger fixed to said shaft adapted to move as the brush wears away for actuating said shaft, and indicating means outside of said casing actuated by said shaft'for showing thewearing away of said brush.

9. In an indicating device for brushes, the com bination with a brushfencl'ose'd from view a casing, a shaft extending froz'n within to the outside of said casing, a finger fixed to said shaft adapted to move as the rush wear acti'iating Siam-sh t, a gear fixed to ing end of said shaft, a an gear, and a hand cttatu t ed p 4 'dicating the Wearing away or said brush.

' 10. In an indicating device for brushes, the combination with a brush enclo'se'd' frorfij view in a casing, a tubular screw/extending from the easing, a shaft rotatably mounted in, the tub r screw, a finger extending iaterau yffrom the innerfend of said shaft, the finger r estingdpm said brush, means tending to rotate saidshaft toba'us'e said fingerv to followsa'id trash as it wears away; an indicating means "actuated the outer end of said shaft. V

11. In an indicating device for trtshe's; the combination with a brush enclosed from view in a casing,a 'tubular 'sc1'ew extending fromtne (gas-- ing, a shaft rotatably mountedjin the tubular screw, a finger extending laterally frdin' the inner end of said shaft, the finger resting hasham brush, means tending to rotate said shaft to cause said finger to follow said brush as it tears away, a hand actuated by the outer end of shaft, and means permitting adjustment of said hand re ative to said rotation of said shaft.

1 2 In at indicating jdevc'e foribr ishesQ the co b nat 'ontvitha brusnenclosedffrdm view in sai'd shaft 'to "cause said finger to move as the v Inan indicating device forbrushes, the combi'nationwith a brush of a finger, thefin'gerrestjingupon the brush, a shaft, the fingerjbeing fixed toithe shaft, the shaft'being movably sup- 'br sh wears away, and indicating means a'c- I stub-shaft, a hatesuptota tyfthe aft,

and meansffor r6 adjiistnient 6f said'hand 'relat'ive to saidstii han,

- I ELTON T. NAYLON. 

